Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Golf-Perry banks on power game at U.S. Senior Open


Golf-Perry banks on power game at U.S. Senior Open

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July 10, 2013 5:42 PM


July 10 (Reuters) - Searing heat and a hilly course are likely to pose problems for players at this week's U.S. Senior Open in Omaha, Nebraska where Kenny Perry hopes his power game can help him clinch a second successive major title.

The 52-year-old American is one of the longest hitters on the over-50s Champions Tour and he views his length off the tee as "a huge advantage" on the 6,711-yard, par-70 layout at Omaha Country Club.

"It's all going to be how well I drive the golf ball is how well I play this week," Perry told reporters on Wednesday while preparing for Thursday's opening round at the fourth of the season's five senior majors.

"Definitely length is going to be a big advantage this week, but you've still got to hit the fairways. The rough is very penal out there. It's chip-out rough.

"It's got definitely a U.S. Open feel out there, with the greens as small as they are and undulating. But with my power, if I can keep driving it straight like I did at Fox Chapel ... I've got a huge advantage."

Perry landed his first major title by two shots in last month's Senior Players Championship at Fox Chapel Golf Club in Pittsburgh for his third career win on the Champions Tour.

He capped a superb driving display there with a closing six-under-par 64 to seal victory but this week he knows he will need stamina as well as power if he is to visit the winner's circle for a second consecutive event.

"This is probably the hardest walking course I've ever been on," Perry said of the Omaha Country Club layout. "I played the (PGA) Tour 27 years and a couple of years out here and it's the hilliest I've seen. It's very physically demanding.

"You're always coming off the green and walking 50 to 80 yards up the hill to the next tee box, and then you're walking straight down and then back (up).

"The guys that will do well this week are going to be the guys who are in pretty good shape."


MAJOR DEAL

Winning a first major crown, even at senior level, meant a great deal to Perry, who had twice been beaten in playoffs for one of golf's four blue riband events on the regular PGA Tour.

"Anything that has major attached to it was always my one goal," said the American, a 14-times winner on the PGA Tour. "I came so close at the PGA (Championship) when Mark Brooks beat me in the playoff, and then I lost to Cabrera at the Masters.

"Our majors out here (on the Champions Tour) probably are not looked upon like they are on the PGA Tour, but yet they're still a major.

"It still will be attached to your name," said Perry, who was pipped by fellow American Brooks in the 1996 PGA Championship at Valhalla, then lost out in a three-way playoff for the 2009 Masters won by Argentina's Angel Cabrera.

Perry also suffered a close call in May at the Senior PGA Championship at Bellerive Golf Club in St. Louis where he fell back into a tie for second after going into the final round with a two-stroke lead.

"It was a huge monkey off my back when I won (the Senior Players Championship)," he said. "I had a three-shot lead with six to play at the Senior PGA, and I blew that one.

"It was finally nice to get that off my back. It was finally nice to say, 'Hey, yeah, I was able to do it.' That was awesome. That was a great feeling."

Englishman Roger Chapman is defending his title this week, having won last year's U.S. Senior Open by two strokes in Lake Orion, Michigan.

Also competing are Americans Tom Watson and Loren Roberts, who are each seeking to emulate Jack Nicklaus by winning a fourth different senior major title. (Reporting by Mark Lamport-Stokes in Los Angeles; Editing by Gene Cherry)

Perry banks on power game at U.S. Senior Open


Perry banks on power game at U.S. Senior Open

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July 10, 2013 5:45 PM

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Kenny Perry of the U.S. watches his tee shot on the first hole during the third round of the Memorial …


(Reuters) - Searing heat and a hilly course are likely to pose problems for players at this week's U.S. Senior Open in Omaha, Nebraska where Kenny Perry hopes his power game can help him clinch a second successive major title.

The 52-year-old American is one of the longest hitters on the over-50s Champions Tour and he views his length off the tee as "a huge advantage" on the 6,711-yard, par-70 layout at Omaha Country Club.

"It's all going to be how well I drive the golf ball is how well I play this week," Perry told reporters on Wednesday while preparing for Thursday's opening round at the fourth of the season's five senior majors.

"Definitely length is going to be a big advantage this week, but you've still got to hit the fairways. The rough is very penal out there. It's chip-out rough.

"It's got definitely a U.S. Open feel out there, with the greens as small as they are and undulating. But with my power, if I can keep driving it straight like I did at Fox Chapel ... I've got a huge advantage."

Perry landed his first major title by two shots in last month'sSenior Players Championship at Fox Chapel Golf Club in Pittsburgh for his third career win on the Champions Tour.

He capped a superb driving display there with a closing six-under-par 64 to seal victory but this week he knows he will need stamina as well as power if he is to visit the winner's circle for a second consecutive event.

"This is probably the hardest walking course I've ever been on," Perry said of the Omaha Country Club layout. "I played the (PGA) Tour 27 years and a couple of years out here and it's the hilliest I've seen. It's very physically demanding.

"You're always coming off the green and walking 50 to 80 yards up the hill to the next tee box, and then you're walking straight down and then back (up).

"The guys that will do well this week are going to be the guys who are in pretty good shape."


MAJOR DEAL

Winning a first major crown, even at senior level, meant a great deal to Perry, who had twice been beaten in playoffs for one of golf's four blue riband events on the regular PGA Tour.

"Anything that has major attached to it was always my one goal," said the American, a 14-times winner on the PGA Tour. "I came so close at the PGA (Championship) when Mark Brooks beat me in the playoff, and then I lost to Cabrera at the Masters.

"Our majors out here (on the Champions Tour) probably are not looked upon like they are on the PGA Tour, but yet they're still a major.

"It still will be attached to your name," said Perry, who was pipped by fellow American Brooks in the 1996 PGA Championship at Valhalla, then lost out in a three-way playoff for the 2009 Masters won by Argentina's Angel Cabrera.

Perry also suffered a close call in May at the Senior PGA Championship at Bellerive Golf Club in St. Louis where he fell back into a tie for second after going into the final round with a two-stroke lead.

"It was a huge monkey off my back when I won (the Senior Players Championship)," he said. "I had a three-shot lead with six to play at the Senior PGA, and I blew that one.

"It was finally nice to get that off my back. It was finally nice to say, 'Hey, yeah, I was able to do it.' That was awesome. That was a great feeling."

Englishman Roger Chapman is defending his title this week, having won last year's U.S. Senior Open by two strokes in Lake Orion, Michigan.

Also competing are Americans Tom Watson and Loren Roberts, who are each seeking to emulate Jack Nicklaus by winning a fourth different senior major title.

(Reporting by Mark Lamport-Stokes in Los Angeles; Editing by Gene Cherry)

Golf-PGA Tour FedExCup points table


Golf-PGA Tour FedExCup points table

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July 15, 2013 10:40 AM


July 15 (Reuters) - PGA Tour 2013 FedExCup points table on

Monday (U.S. unless stated):

1. Tiger Woods 2,380 points

2. Matt Kuchar 1,964

3. Brandt Snedeker 1,603

4. Phil Mickelson 1,518

5. Billy Horschel 1,459

6. Justin Rose (England) 1,358

7. Bill Haas 1,320

8. Kevin Streelman 1,259

9. Boo Weekley 1,196


10. Jason Day (Australia) 1,148

11. Jordan Spieth 1,114

12. Keegan Bradley 1,051

13. Webb Simpson 1,018

14. Adam Scott (Australia) 1,012

15. Harris English 1,011

16. Russell Henley 1,005

17. Hunter Mahan 1,003

18. D.A. Points 1,000

19. Jimmy Walker 996

20. Steve Stricker 990

(Editing by Caroline Helly)

Golf-European Tour Race to Dubai money list


Golf-European Tour Race to Dubai money list

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July 15, 2013 10:40 AM


July 15 (Reuters) - Leading money winners on the 2013

European Tour Race to Dubai on Monday:

1. Justin Rose (England) 1,557,900 euros

2. Graeme McDowell (Northern Ireland) 1,530,715

3. Matteo Manassero (Italy) 1,176,977

4. Richard Sterne (South Africa) 1,097,976

5. Branden Grace (South Africa) 1,020,546

6. Ernie Els (South Africa) 951,200

7. Brett Rumford (Australia) 909,770

8. Sergio Garcia (Spain) 903,146

9. Mikko Ilonen (Finland) 829,997


10. Charl Schwartzel (South Africa) 746,474

11. Jamie Donaldson (Wales) 725,574

12. Thongchai Jaidee (Thailand) 705,378

13. Thorbjorn Olesen (Denmark) 691,726

14. Thomas Bjorn (Denmark) 670,206

15. Angel Cabrera (Argentina) 664,157

16. Scott Jamieson (Scotland) 644,527

17. Marc Warren (Scotland) 632,691

18. Stephen Gallacher (Scotland) 608,871

19. Joost Luiten (Netherlands) 599,864

20. Louis Oosthuizen (South Africa) 590,807

(Editing by Caroline Helly)

Earning His Keep: Jordan Spieth's Life Changes by the Minute


Earning His Keep: Jordan Spieth's Life Changes by the Minute

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Ryan Ballengee July 15, 2013 12:08 PM


COMMENTARY | It's a true Cinderella story. No, not "Caddyshack."



Jordan Spieth began the year merely as a hotshot kid wearing a pumpkin-colored shirt and, after winning the John Deere Classic on in a playoff on Sunday, now he has a chariot of a charter plane taking him to the ball that is the Open Championship, golf's oldest major.



The 19-year-old, who turns 20 on July 27, outlasted 2007 Masters champion Zach Johnson and Canadian David Hearn in a five-hole playoff to become the first teenager to win in a PGA Tour-recognized event in 82 years. That's back before the PGA Tour was its own organization, separate from the PGA of America.



Needless to say, things like this simply don't happen.



Spieth began 2013 without any status on the PGA Tour. None.



To survive and earn a livelihood, Spieth, fresh off leading the University of Texas to the NCAA men's golf championship, would have to rely on the kindness of strangers and sponsor's exemptions to set some kind of schedule.



If he played well enough in those rare opportunities to shine, then maybe the two-time U.S. Junior Amateur champion could earn enough money to get some kind of security for next season. Doing that alone would be an amazing accomplishment, but with a truncated season due to a new PGA Tour calendar, time was especially of the essence.



Spieth began to prove himself in very little time. In March, Spieth finished T-2 at the Puerto Rico Open, the event played opposite the WGC-Cadillac Championship. The $308,000 check was earned against a lesser field -- the big boys were at Doral on the U.S. mainland -- but it was a sign of things to come. It also afforded him an automatic start at the Tampa Bay Championship.



Spieth finished T-7 at Innisbrook. Another six-figure check for almost $150,000. Another earned start, this time in Houston.



The small check from Houston put him over the threshold to earn special temporary membership on the PGA Tour, affording him the chance to take unlimited sponsor's exemptions through the end of the year. No longer limited to accepting just seven invitations to play, the rising star would no longer have to plot where and when he would compete.



A month later, he finished T-9 at the RBC Heritage. It wasn't the Masters, like the week prior, but it was another sign of what was coming.




After moving sideways for a month, Spieth found himself with an outside chance at Colonial. He finished T-7, but practically locked up his 2014 PGA Tour card through the nonmember money list. The biggest goal had been achieved.



A win was really the only thing left for Spieth. It would give him automatic PGA Tour status, a two-year exemption and a chance to chase the FedEx Cup. Despite all of his great play, only PGA Tour members can compete in the Playoffs. Nothing short of a victory would offer Spieth that chance.



A month after Colonial, Spieth was seriously in the mix for the AT&T National title, but the third-round pressure caught up with him, as he ballooned to a 74 that left him to fight for a sixth-place finish.



A week later at Greenbrier, it was the final round, a 73, that got Spieth unglued.



It only took Spieth 14 days to learn how to win. The Texan opened with a benign 70 at TPC Deere Run, but then took it to the Silvis, Ill. course. Three consecutive 65s, including five birdies in his final six holes, landed him in a playoff with two guys nearly twice his age. It turned out playing five playoff holes in even par was good enough to win.



When the 18-inch par putt to win at the 18th hole fell, Spieth had his victory. With it, he found the only path he had left to next week's Open Championship -- a tournament tailor-made for a kid from Texas.



Now instead of wondering how he might spend the better part of August and all of September, Spieth's calendar has filled quickly. He earned a spot in the PGA Championship. He'll be in the WGC-Firestone Invitational.



Spieth is not only in the FedEx Cup playoffs, but he's a contender to win the whole thing. He is retroactively credited with all of the FedEx Cup points he would have earned earlier in the year and now sits 11th in the standings.



The soon-to-be-20-year-old can continue to go for broke this year. Maybe that's a bad turn of phrase. Spieth has made $2 million this year with the possible to earn millions more before season's end. In fact, the rookie could take home $10 million and the FedEx Cup in September.



It's said the man with nothing to lose is often the most dangerous. With $2 million in his pocket, a two-yearPGA Tour exemption, a spot in the next three major championships, Jordan Spieth still has more to gain in 2013. That could mean his finest hour is still yet to come. And, unlike for Cinderella, midnight will not strike anytime soon.



Ryan Ballengee is a Washington, D.C.-based golf writer. His work has appeared on multiple digital outlets, including NBC Sports and Golf Channel. Follow him on Twitter @RyanBallengee.